The term “Wow Experience” can mean different things to different people. For me, it describes an event that is above and beyond what I would normally expect. As a business owner, if you strive to give your customers a “wow experience” when they do business with you, you will not only be making a great impressionn, you’ll be making many loyal customers along the way.

I think that the “wow experience” starts at the beginning, with the product. What is it that you are offering? How does it compare to your competitors’ products? Are you doing something special that no one else is, or are you just making the same old thing that people could buy through a hundred other places? Distinguish yourself in the beginning, and you’ll have less to worry about later!

Another factor in the “wow experience” is the packaging! The more appealing your item looks, the more people will want it! And the more satisfied they will be when they have it!

How was the buying experience for the customer? If they are buying from you online, is it easy to navigate your web store? If it is hard or confusing to order from you, people will just click away. If they are buying from you in person at an event, did you look them in the eye and strike up a bit of conversation to make them feel at ease and let them know you appreciated their business?

And don’t forget the follow up! Ask them to join your mailing list so that you can email them special offers, customer discounts, and new product alerts! This person is now your customer! Treat them well, and they’ll continue to be your customer for a long time!

Ahhh… Finishing what you start. To be honest, this isn’t always my strong point. I’m an idea person. I get a lot of ideas and there really is no way that I could complete all of them.

It can be easy to think of something new, get excited, and start working on it right away. Then you realize how much time that project will really take, and of course realize you have to finish something else first or you get excited about a different project and put everything else down to work on the new thing.

It is a vicious cycle! And seeing all of those un-finished prjoects piled up can make you sick to your stomach, fill you with anxiety and make you avoid working all together. Who wants that?

If you have that problem as well, I suggest really thinking about an idea before you put any work into it. Keep an idea notebook handy to write down all of your bright ideas. That way, when inspiration strikes you can jot down your initial idea and then go back to it when you have time to devote to it.

Sometimes, when you go back through your notebook, you will come across an idea that makes perfect sense. And other times, you will look at an idea and wonder “What was I thinking? That idea isn’t going to work!”

That step will save you LOTS of time in the future. Sometimes, what looks like a great idea in the moment can look a lot different a week later. You’ll no longer get carried away with excitement and waste a day working on a project you end up putting aside and never touching again.

Just think about how much time you’ll have for the projects you really want to finish!

Goal Setting! For some, this is an easy practice that is practically second nature. For others, this is a tedious task that may as well be a punishment!

If you fall into the second category, don’t despair. You are definitely NOT alone! In fact, I would venture to say that you are in the majority.

One thing that helps me with goal setting is to look at the big picture and then start working backwards. I figure out what I want to accomplish and then I break it down into small pieces. If I were only looking at the big picture, it would be easy to get overwhelmed. And being overwhelmed is no fun!

On the other hand, when you do things how I am doing it, I have the big goal that serves as the ‘master plan,’ and then I have lots of little bit sized goals to lead me along the way.

Here’s an example of how this might play out in real life:

Big Goal: You are participating in a craft fair on August 8 and want to make 50 pairs of your most popular earrings.

Breaking it down: Today is June 11. You have about 7 and 1/2 weeks until the show. You would like to be done with production about  two weeks before the show. If you divide 50 pieces by 5 weeks, you will know that in order to meet your goal, you will need to produce and package 10 new pairs of earrings each week for the next 5 weeks.

Working backwards and putting a big goal into bite size is what works for me. I hope it helps you, too!

Customer service is crucial in any line of work. But I’d also add that customer appreciation is a key ingredient in providing the first. Today I am going to share just a few, simple ideas of what you can do show appreciation towards those who give you business as well as why showing appreciation to those who work with you is also of great value.

And to help guide us through, I’m going to give a simple acronym that will mean a lot more by the end of reading this post. When it comes to customer appreciation, I say, “GO & DO!”

G- GENUINE APPRECIATION: One fact of life is that everyone appreciates being appreciated. And when that appreciation is genuine and sincere, then it can move mountains. Not trying to be overly dramatic, but I say this because it can’t be over-emphasized too much.  Being very specific in your comments helps the other person to know that you really noticed something special and you wanted to share that with them. Chances are that because of what you have shared, the customer, co-worker, or employee will be that much more likely to continue doing great things because they know that YOU know them.

O- ORGANIZE A SYSTEM: You want to organize a system in your business which puts customer service and appreciation your #1 priority. You can have the best marketing system in the world in place, the greatest products, etc…and yet, if customer service fails, you will fail. Gaining a reputation in your industry of superb customer relations will leap you to the forefront. So do whatever is necessary to make sure that you can manage a great system of service with a smile.

and now…. DO!

D- Deal Effectively: The dictionary tells us that the word effective means “adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result.”  Another meaning includes, “producing a deep or vivid impression; striking.” I like what both of these definitions say when it comes to customer service.  No matter the circumstance, it is always important to put yourself in “someone else’s shoes.” When dealing with an issue that comes up with a customer, always take a deep breath and think for a moment, “What would I do if I were in their position? How would I feel?” Then find out what may have gone wrong and do everything you can quickly and effeciently to help resolve the issue.

It reminds me of a time when a customer was very upset and wrote to YouCanMakeThis.com about a problem she was having with a download. The email sent was, let’s just say, “less than nice” in every way. Kim, the owner of YCMT, rather than being on the defensive side, decided that a phone call to the customer could be an effective way of helping her. Sometimes email can be very ineffective because of the time lapse and misunderstandings through writing. At the beginning of the conversation, this customer was extremely upset. Kim listened. She asked further questions. She helped her resolve what was occurring and even offered her a free product for the hassle it had caused her. I sat back and just admired the way Kim handled the entire situation….and I learned a lot from it. By the end of their phone conversation, they were both laughing about “mom stuff” and an hour later, the customer was sending photographs to Kim of her new babies! Talk about effective.

And finally…

O- Opportunities All Around You! Indeed, there are opportunities all around you to show your appreciation! Take advantage of every one of them! Offer discounts or other special offers to repeat customers. Write a personal email to thank them. With those who work for you, perhaps make an “out-of-the-blue” phone call to let them know what a great job they are doing and ask them for their input with how the business is going and what ideas they might have to help. Send a thank-you note in the mail along with a giftcard to ice cream for their family at the local ice creamery. What a fun surprise! No need to wait for a birthday or other special occasion…just do it and the smile will last for days for both you and the person on the receiving end!

So what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts as well as other ideas you might have for showing your appreciation!

Ahhh, summer! Who doesn’t look forward to three months full of sunshine, picnics, and warm lazy days??? I guess you can blame it on the fact that we had a summer vacation during our school years, but for some reason, when the temperatures start rising, a lot of people put their businesses on the back burner.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for taking a break here and there. But… I don’t think summer is a time for total rest and relaxation. Your business is still a business and you need to treat it like a business if you want to make a profit.

Plus, the busy fall and winter season will be here soon and this s the time to start gearing up for it. Putting in some extra marketing work now will pay off big time in a few months!

If the thought of future profits isn’t enough to keep you motivated, here are some tips:

Make a Plan: It’s always easier to get your work done when you have a game plan to follow. You’ll know what you have to get done to stay on track.

Get Child Care: If you have school age children, you may find it hard to work your usual hours with your kids on summer break. If this is the case, don’t feel guilty about arranging for child care. This doesn’t have to be a formal daycare situation; it can be anything from having the kids go to Grandma’s for a few hours during the week or having a younger teen come over and play with them while you get some stuff done in your home office. Another idea is to trade child care with a couple of other Moms in the neighborhood. Your kids will have fun playing with their friends and you’ll get some quiet time to work!

Work Smart: There are lots of ways to work smarter, not harder! For example, you could hire a virtual assistant (also known as a VA) to help you answer email and take care of other administrative tasks.  You can also take a few days to do blocks of work, which might help you stay focused. For example, take one day per week to write several blog posts and set the timer within your blog  so that they are  published throughout the week, or create newsletters in advance and load them into your autoresponder so that they are delivered on the day you’d like your readers to get them.

If you would like more ideas to help you stay motivated this summer, download the Summer Biz Guide by clicking here. It’s a free, 29 page guide full of articles and tips!

I will also be hosting The Summer Biz Sessions, starting June 2 and lasting through August 25. We will be meeting in a web room each Tuesday at 9pm Eastern to discuss different business topics. We will have a different guest speaker each week, and the line up is fantastic! We’ll be hearing from Jenny Hart, founder of Sublime Stitching; Sue Blatt, founder of Renegade Craft Fair; Casie Metcalf, owner of IndiePublic.com; Claudine Hellmuth, founder of Collage Artist; Amy Schroeder, founder of Venus Zine; Laura Allen, co-founder of 15 Second Pitch; and that is just to name a few!!! For more info and to register, click here.

This week, we are “Sparking An Idea From The Movies.” I’m going to share some important business lessons I’ve learned from one of my favorite movies,  The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. If you’ve never seen this movie, you need to go to Blockbuster and rent it this weekend.

It was common practice throughout the 1950s and early 60s for companies to hold contests and offer prizes for the best jingle. Julianne Moore portrays Evelyn Ryan, a 1950s housewife who supports her family of ten children by entering – and winning – these contests.

Her husband, Kelly, portrayed by Woody Harrelson, is an alcoholic that has trouble making ends meet. The movie shows how Evelyn often ’saves the day’ by winning a contest and earning enough prize money to pay for what is needed.

For many reasons, I was extremely touched and moved by Moore’s character. Here is a woman who is stuck in a seemingly hopeless situation. She is stuck at home, in what has to be an unhappy marriage. Even though she has won a sports car, she has no driver’s license and therefore cannot leave her tiny town.

If circumstances were different, she could easily have a job running the marketing department of one of the companies she writes jingles for. It goes without saying that Evelyn was a gifted writer and marketer with a very creative mind. But this was 1950s America and women were expected to stay home and keep a good home for their husbands and children.

So what did I learn from this movie? Well, first of all, the big lesson is that if she can do it, I can do it. Let’s face it – Evelyn Ryan had a lot working against her. But she kept at it, she kept writing and it paid off (in a big way).

Moore’s character used the talents and skills she had and found a way to make them work for her. I like to thinkk that I am doing the same thing with my business.

One thing that I do have that Evelyn Ryan did not is the Internet. Watching this movie will make you understand how much the Internet has truly changed the lives of women across America.  Not to spoil too much for you if you haven’t seen the movie, but Evelyn gets invited to attend a meeting of fellow jingle writers, which is being held several hours away. She tries several times to meet with them, without success.

It is really heartbreaking to see how much of a struggle it was for this woman to simply travel a few hours away and meet with some women who understood what she was going through. Today, we can easily turn on the Internet and connect with people through blogs and social networking sites.

In last week’s Spark An Idea post we talked about forming business allies. I have been lucky enough to make some great friends through my business (one of which I’m meeting for coffee in a couple of hours!). The conveniences we have make it easy to take for granted the loneliness and isolation that women like Moore’s character must have experienced.

Lesson learned? Reach out to others for business advice and brainstorming sessions, even if you don’t feel you need it. The fact is, you have the luxury of being able to do this, so do it. You might make some new friends along the way, get an idea for a new project, or even find a potential business partner.

Entering these contests enabled Ryan to stay home with her children, provide them a good home, and to use her talents to create something she could be proud of. In many cases, Ryan reminds me of one of today’s “Mommy Bloggers.” (A Mommy Blogger is a woman who keeps a blog and earns her living from writing about her experiences as a mother.)

I like to think that comparison shows how much times have changed, and yet, how much things are still the same.

This is a true story and the movie is based upon the book of the same name, which is written by Evelyn’s daughter, Terry Ryan.

I love the fact that I work online. I started my business when I lived in Alaska and the convenience that working online offers is just what I needed. Working from home – by yourself – can get lonely at times. You can easily get trapped in your “bubble” and lose sight of what is going on in the rest of the world.

That’s why I recommend making a few business friends that you can brainstorm with, get feedback from, and if possible, meet in person and work on some projects together. I have met some great friends through my business.

If  you are feeling shy and aren’t sure how to reach out to a potential business friend, here are a few examples of how I met some of my business friends:

Start With An Email: Back in the fall of 2007, I was flipping through an issue of Bust and came across a cute ad from MadeByAmyD.com. I wrote the owner and told her I thought it was a really good ad. She wrote back and that’s where it all started. We began emailing back and forth; I invited her to be a guest on my podcast and we had a great time talking, so I asked her to co-host an episode with me… and well, long story short, we are still in regular contact. Some of the ladies from Handmade Detroit and I will be road tripping to Ohio in August to meet Amy and the Ohio Crafters in person. And it all started with an email!

They Don’t Call It Social Networking For Nothing: Social networking sites are a great place to make a new business ally. I’ve met a lot of people through these sites; some have become partners on projects, and others have been a huge asset in helping me promote my site. I recommend that at the very minimum, you set up a fan page for your business on Facebook and also set up a Twitter account.

Attend  Craft Shows, Conferences, And Other Events: Back in 2006 when MySpace was still all the rage, I came across the profile for Handmade Detroit, a group of crafters that promotes the indie craft movement in Detroit and the surrounding area. Now, I was living in Alaska, but I’ll always be a “Michigan Girl,” so I added them as a friend. One of the members, Beth Nixon, began reading my blog. When I announced that I was going to be the keynote speaker at an event in May 2008, she decided to drive up to Flint and attend.

We had a chance to talk at the event and our personalities jived. A couple months later we decided to meet for coffee. We didn’t do much business talking at that first meeting; we talked about our lives and realized how much we had in common. She invited me to attend a party the following week and I met the majority of the other Handmade Detroit crew. Indie Biz Chicks and HD  have struck up a great “business relationship” in the sense that we promote each other and I’ve made some really good friends.  So go to in person events when you can and don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation!

I hope these ideas gave you some inspiration for reaching out to other business owners and making some new “biz friends!”  Don’t forget to post your own ideas for making biz friends on your blog (and link back to this blog post) !!

I LOVE being able to work from home. For me, there’s nothing like it. But doing so presents some challeges as well. That is, that there are certain times during the day when I need to be at the computer or on a conference call. Because of this, I am always on the look-out for fun activities for my children to do right beside me.  

And whether it’s answering an email or just loading the dishwasher for the upteenth time, we all need ideas on how to keep our little ones busy while you are too!

So today I’m going to share an idea with you that your kids will love! It involves SCISSORS! Just be careful that they don’t love it too much, that a locke of hair comes off!

It’s real easy, too. Ready?

Compile some old magazines together that I’m sure you have lying around your home! 

Give your child a pair of blunt-ended scissors. I always make sure my children are sitting down when using scissors and I watch carefully.

Instruct your child to find pictures of faces in the magazine. You want them to find a mouth on one face, some eyes from another face, and even a nose from a completely different face! Oh, they’re going to have fun with this!

Carefully cut out each one and then glue onto a separate piece of paper.

And that’s it! Here are a couple of end results from my children when they did this activity!

Isn’t that fun? They’ll have a ball trying to find all the different body parts to make their “new” person!

Having your children cut with scissors is an important skill to learn. The hand-eye coordination it takes to maneuver the cutting motion is often taken for granted and so this is a great way to give them an experience with scissors.

Children also enjoy cutting out objects that they like and making a collage. My 6-year-old loved just making a simple collage from pictures of trucks, basketball hoops, and his favorite foods! Even my 2 1/2 year-old can be entertained for quite a while by simply cutting paper.

I’d love to hear any ideas you do with your little ones when you’re busy!